“community cannot for long feed on itself;
it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond,
their unknown and undiscovered brothers.
-howard thurman
Mar25
Tag Archives: community
Mar11
“i’m a reflection of the community.” tupac shakur
amidst the more than a million people without power days
our local library
has been opening at 6am
and closing late
acting without anyone asking
as an ad hoc community center
in order to offer
a safe and welcoming haven to all
full of
electricity and books and computers and games and story times
a friend to all ages
stay as long as you like
take as much as you need
on a morning visit
during my current nomadic existence
i sat with 2 high schoolers
an old couple
college roommates
a gaggle of 3 year olds
and a family
all here for the same reasons
a bit of respite
a cup of coffee
a bite to eat
a wealth of good company
a comfortable chair
and
an awful lot of warmth.
—–
“a library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.
it is a never failing spring in the desert.”
― andrew carnegie
Dec23
“how many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.” ― coco chanel
my class was interested in learning about snow
they knew that it:
comes from up there
falls down to the ground
is cold
tastes like peppermint
and
you can make stuff out of it.
they wanted to learn about snowplows
so we invited our school’s snowplow driver
over for a visit
everyone put on their winter gear
headed outside
where he
showed them his truck
put on the lights
moved the plow up and down
and
pushed the snow around the circle
then
we invited him into our room
to ask him questions
and learn more about him
he told the kids
to call him roger
he was very gentle and kind
he has been here for 28 years
this is his last snowplow winter
he answered every single question
listened to every single comment about snow
they asked him what he does
when he’s not plowing
they were surprised
he lives on 20 acres
has fainting goats, black swans and an aviary of 500 exotic finches
decorates peoples houses for the holidays
is a father and grandfather
and
a horticulturist
who helped to create the children’s garden at our school
he is more than what they saw
when they saw him plowing the snow
now they know him as a person
now they will wave to each other
now they know how he helps our community
now they know how much more there is to his story
when he was finished
and it was time
for him to go back to his work
the children gathered around him and gave him hugs
they know a good person when they meet one.
—
“i hope I didn’t bore you too much with my life story.” – elvis presley
Oct23
pickaxe.
—
proud to have worked really hard
with my colleagues
on this chilly fall morning
to help to make the shelter
a better place for those who need it
by helping
put their garden
to bed this fall
and
by planting
new possibilities there
for them to awaken to next spring.
Sep21
open doors.
one day gerald mysteriously appeared
with a note and a friendly greeting
left by an unknown visitor
and
he moved into
the fairy community at my cottage
i know they welcomed him
with open arms and open doors.
—-
“happiness often sneaks in
through a door you didn’t know you left open.”
-john barrymore
Sep10
one from many.
i recently made a wonderful discovery
when playing with a couple of my grandies
at the park across the street from my house.
the people in my local community
who visit the park or live nearby
have begun
to purposely
leave toys behind
for any and all children to play with.
what a simple, powerful, and generous act
what an amazing way to teach children gratitude
and
the importance
of sharing what we have
with others in the world
who may not have as much.
—
“the essence of community, its heart and soul,
is the non-monetary exchange of value;
things we do and share because we care for others,
and for the good of the place.”
― dee hock, One from Many
Sep5
“labor gives birth to ideas.” – jim rohn
“modern society, based as it is on the division of labor,
can be preserved only under conditions of lasting peace.”
-ludwig von mises
—
happy labor day in the usa
to all of those who labor
wherever you may be
—
image credit: google images
Aug15
act.
yesterday
i went to the official opening
of the local headquarters
for
my choice of candidates
for the office of
the next
president of the united states of america.
when i pulled into the parking lot
there was not a space to be had
there was a torrential downpour of rain
yet people of all ages
were waiting
and
pouring out of the door
and
once i walked into the room
there was
so much enthusiasm
and
so full of hope
and
postive thinking
it was overwhelming
i’m excited to say that
tomorrow i’ll begin helping them
to try to make it all happen in november.
—
“act as if what you do makes a difference. it does.”
~william james
—
image credit: googleimages
Jun8
soul music.
we stopped to listen to an ensemble of young girls
playing lovely music at the weekend farmer’s market.
their teacher said they were in the 8th grade
where everyone is asked
to contribute something to the community.
these girls chose to offer what they had to give –
their natural gift of music.
they had to organize the day
by asking permission to play somewhere
finding transportation
planning what to wear
being on time
introducing themselves
and
remembering their music and instruments.
all of the money they earned
from passers-by
went to a local charity.
it was a beautiful lesson.
—
“music is the movement of sound
to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.”
– plato
May27
work.
“the supreme accomplishment
is to blur the line between work and play.”
-arnold j. toynbee
I didn't have my glasses on.... 